1. The Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to trailer hitch devices and accessories, and more particularly, but not necessarily entirely, to a device for stabilizing a trailer hitch by leveling the trailer with respect to the tow vehicle and by dampening sway.
2. Description of Related Art
Various different types of trailer hitches are known in the art for attaching trailers to towing vehicles. One of the most common types of towing systems utilizes a ball hitch. Typical ball hitches have a generally spherical shaped ball with a stem or threaded rod extending from a base of the ball. The threaded rod may be configured to engage a hitch head mounted on the towing vehicle using a threaded receiver or ball hitch fitting. A trailer coupling member, positioned on a front of the trailer tongue, may engage the ball hitch in a loose friction fit, and may be secured to the ball in preparation for towing.
One of the biggest safety concerns with towing trailers is that the trailers may sway, leading to loss of control of the towing vehicle. A number of factors may contribute to sway, including: side winds, passing vehicles, quick lane changes, uneven roads and sudden stops. Some trailer hitches may not handle these situations well and may often enhance the sway problem making driving even more stressful and difficult.
Another common problem encountered when towing a trailer is “highway hop,” or the bouncing that often happens to trailers on uneven roadways. This problem may be caused by uneven weight distribution. With ordinary ball-type hitches, most of the trailer tongue-weight may be carried on the back axle of the tow vehicle. This may raise the front end of the tow vehicle. The uneven distribution of weight may make steering control more difficult, especially during emergency situations. Weight distribution allows a trailer and tow vehicle to be level. Risks associated with driving a trailer without a weight distribution hitch may include loss of steering control, braking difficulties, and hitch dragging.
Some hitches include load equalizing systems utilizing spring arms or bars, sometimes also referred to as load distribution arms, to distribute loads and allow the towing vehicle and trailer to remain level. One end of the spring arms may be attached under the ball hitch and hitch head. The spring arms may extend from the hitch head towards the trailer. The end of the spring arms opposite the hitch head may be lifted or loaded to place an upward force on the hitch head to thereby equalize the load exerted on the trailer hitch. Other mechanisms may also be used in association with a trailer hitch to reduce side sway of the trailer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,004 (granted Aug. 17, 1971 to Newkirk) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,257 (granted Jul. 16, 2002 to McCoy et. al.) disclose exemplary trailer hitch mechanisms known in the art for equalizing loads and reducing sway.
Despite the advantages of the known trailer hitches, improvements are still being sought. For example, devices are known in the art to facilitate lifting the spring arms to equalize loads exerted by trailer hitches. U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,627 (granted Jul. 22, 1980 to Thompson) discloses an anti-sway type trailer hitch having spring arms or load-leveling bars. The spring arms are loaded to transfer the trailer's weight away from the hitch through a pair of brackets that are adjustably mounted on the trailer tongue. The brackets have eyes at the lower ends for receiving the spring arms therethrough. A small, portable hydraulic jack is used to jack the brackets upwardly to thereby load the spring arms. A drawback with the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,627 is that installation of the spring arms through the eyes in the brackets may be difficult to accomplish. Moreover, the brackets may not be effective in reducing sway. Also, the spring arms may be required to be moved a considerable distance to be properly loaded. Thus, the configuration of the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,627 may make jacking of the spring arms into position a time consuming and burdensome task.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,333 (granted Oct. 28, 1980 to Persyn) discloses trailer hitch having a spring arm that is loaded using a screw jack. The configuration of the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,333 may make jacking of the spring arms into position a difficult task to accomplish.
Another device for loading the spring arms is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,680 (granted Mar. 3, 1981 to Albright et al.), which discloses a trailer hitch having spring arms that are loaded using an electrically controlled winch. A drawback of this device is that the electrically controlled winch may be costly to manufacture and maintain. Moreover, failures in the electrical system may result in increased difficulty in operating and loading the spring bars.
The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present disclosure. The present disclosure minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein.
The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.